The
Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz 1 and
2 Klasse) was awarded to all ranks for
gallantry, while the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (Grosskreuz
des Eisernen Kreuzes or Grosskreuz) was only
awarded to the Kaiser and four generals in World War
1.

The
Pour le Mérite, a Prussian order, was only granted to
officers and then for leadership and success in
operations (ships sunk by U-boats, aircraft shot down)
rather than for specific acts of gallantry as with the
British Victoria Cross and American Medal of Honor. It
was discontinued with the fall of the Kaiser.

When
he came to power, instead of re-instituting the “Blue
Max”, Hitler introduced the Knight’s Cross of the Iron
Cross because the former was only awarded to officers.
The Pour le Mérite also included and continues to
include a Civil Class.

Pour
le Mérite awards in World War I totalled 687, with 533
granted to the Army, 80 to Aviation, 49 to the Navy,
20 to Foreign recipients and 5 other. The Naval
awards were made as follows: 1 in 1914,
3 + 1 Oakleaves in 1915,
10 in 1916, 16+ 2 aviation
in 1917, 19 + 3 aviation
in 1918

Awarded
5 June - KaptLt.
Otto HERSING,
U-boat Commander, U.21.Sank
HM Cruiser Pathfinder (2,940t) in North Sea
in 1914, HM Battleships Triumph (11,985t), Majestic
(14,820t), and French auxiliary cruiser Carthage
(5,275t) off Gallipoli in 1915, and French cruiser AmiralCharner (4,681t) off Syria
in 1916.Sinkings listed by
Uboat.net are 37 merchant ships of 95,220grt and 3
warships of 19,675 tons (but 5 warships of 39,701t are
listed above) all in U.21. Died 1960 (+cn/ub)

10
August
- Gross Admiral Alfred von TIRPITZ, “founder” of
the modern German Navy, Head of the Reichsmarinearmt
(Secretary of State, Imperial Naval Office) from 1897
to March 1916 (+gw/nh)

(left (LC))

23
August
- Admiral Guido von USEDOM, a
commander of naval forces in Turkey.
Commanded a “Sonderkommando”
initially of around 400 naval artillerymen and mine
specialists to improve the Dardanelles
defences, later received the title Inspector-General
of Coastal Fortifications and Minefields. Received
Pour le Merité
on 5 April 1902, and awarded Oakleaves in
August 1915.

(+nh)

20
October - Admiral
Ludwig von SCHRÖDER, commanderMarinekorps Flanders. Responsible
for naval forces (submarines, destroyers, torpedo
boats etc) operating from, and the defences of the
occupied Belgian coast (Ostend,
Zeebrugge etc), one of
the most heavily fortified areas of the war.Reported directly to the Kaiser.Awarded Oakleaves
on 23
December 1917.
(+nh)

1916

Awarded
7 March - Korv.
Kapt.NikolasBurggraf
& Count of DOHNA SCHLODIEN, commander
auxiliary cruiser/commerce raider Möwe.
First sortie between 29
December 1915
and 4 March 1916 resulted in the sinking of 15 British & Allied ships of
57,520grt (or 14 ships of 49,739grt) plus HM
Battleship King Edward VII
and 1 or 2 merchant ships by mines laid by Möwe.
A second cruise from 22 November 1916 to 22 March 1917
led to the sinking of 25 British & Allied ships of
125,265grt(or 25 ships of 123,265grt) (+cn/kp/nh/rn)

5 June
- Vizeadmiral Franz von HIPPER, commander of the
High Seas Fleet Scouting Forces (battlecruisers
and light cruisers - above, probably battlecruiser
SMS Von der Tann astern of possibly SMS Blucher (GW)).
Took part in raids on English coast and Battle of Dogger
Bank in 1915, and commanded The Battlecruiser Force
(1st and 2nd Scouting Groups) at the Battle of Jutland
in 1916. Promoted Admiral and assumed command of the
High Seas Fleet in August 1918. Died 1932 (+gw/nh/wp)
(left (GW))

5 June
- Admiral Reinhard
SCHEER, commanded 2nd Battle Squadron from 1913,
3rd Battle Squadron from December 1914, and appointed
Commander in Chief, High Seas Fleet in January 1916. In
command at the Battle of Jutland. Awarded Oakleaves
on 1
February 1918
and appointed head of the Navy - the new Seekriegsleitung
or SKL (Naval Warfare Command) in August 1918. Died
1928 (+nh/wp)

(left
(LC))

5 June
- Kapitän
zu SeeAdolf von TROTHA,
Chief of Staff, High Seas Fleet from January 1916,
later Rear Admiral. Died 1940.
(+nh/wp)

(left
(GW))

1
August
- Gross Admiral Prince HEINRICH of Prussia.
Kaiser’s brother and
commander-in-chief, Baltic Naval Forces (OberbefehlshaberderOstseestreitkräfte
or OdO) from July 1914
to 1917.Awarded Oakleaves
on 24 January 1918.
Sometime referred to as Prince Henry (+fw/nh/wp)

12
August - KaptLt.
Walter FORSTMANN,
U-boat Commander, U.12 and U.39.Sank HM Gunboat Niger
(810t) in the Dover Straits in 1914.Sinkings listed by Uboat.net are 155
merchant ships of 423,363grt, mainly in the Mediterranean
by U.39, and the one warship above (kt
– 380,000grt in 16 patrols). He was the second highest
scoring U-boat commander after de la Perière.
Died 1973. (+cn/kt/ub)

11
October
- KaptLt. Lothar
von ARNAULD DE LA PERIÈRE, U-boat Commander,
U.35 and U.139. Sinkings
listed by Uboat.net are 195 merchant ships of
466,518grt and 2 warships of 2,500 tons, mainly in the
Mediterranean
(kt – 400,000grt in 10
patrols). He was the highest scoring U-boat ace. Killed
in air crash in 1941. (+kt/ub)

(left (WP))

29
October
- Vizeadmiral Wilhelm SOUCHON, as Rear Admiral,
commander of Germany’s
Mediterranean
forces (Mittlemeerdivision)
in 1914 – battlecruiserGoeben
(above - sister ship SMS Moltke (MQ)) and light
cruiser Breslau, and escaped to Turkish waters. The ships were transferred to the Turks
and Souchen was appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Navy. Subsequently
commanded 4th Battle Squadron, High Seas Fleet from
September 1917, and appointed CinC
Baltic Naval Station (as Admiral) in August 1918. Died
1946. (+fw/nh)

22
March - Admiral
Henning von HOLTZENDORFF. Appointed
Chief of the Naval Staff (Admiralsstab)
in September 1915.Awarded
Oakleaves on 1 February 1918.
Died 1919 (+fw/gw/nh)

(left - back to camera, with Adm von Tirpitz
(LC))

30
July
- KaptLt.
Walther SCHWIEGER,
U-boat Commander, U.14, U.20 and U.88.Sinkings listed by
Uboat.net are 47 merchant ships of 177,537grt,
including liner RMS Lusitania
in 1915 (kt – 190,000grt
in 12 patrols). Died 5
September 1917
in U.88 in the North
Sea,
presumably mined. (+kt/ub)

11
August
- OberLt. Heino
von HEIMBURG,
U-boat Commander, UB.14, UB.15, UC.22, UB.68 and
U.35.Sinkings
listed by Uboat.net are 16 merchant ships of 30,738grt
and 2 warships of 659 tons. However, he is also quoted
as having sunk 62,000BRT
of shipping including HM Submarine E.20 (670t) and
British transport Royal Edward (11,117grt) in 1915. He
also accounted for Italian cruiser Amalfi
(9,830t) and submarine Medusa (250t), again in 1915. Died
1945. (+cn/ub)

20
August - OberLt.
Reinhold SALTZWEDEL,
U-boat Commander, UB.10, UC.10, UC.11, UC.21,
UC.71 and UB.81.Sinkings
listed by Uboat.net are 113 merchant ships of
172,959grt (kt –
150,000grt in 12 patrols). Died 2
December 1917
when UB.81 was mined in the English Channel. (+kt/ub)

20
August - FregKapt.
Peter STRASSER, Naval Airship Commander, took
parts in raids on England, appointed Commander of
Naval Airships (FührerderLuftschiffe of FdL)
in November 1916 with rank of Admiral 2nd-class. Died
August 1918 (5th, 6th and 8th quoted) when Zeppelin
L.70 was shot down off the Norfolk
coast by the RAF. (+wp)

31
October - Vizeadmiral Paul BEHNCKE, commander
3rd Battle Squadron, High Seas Fleet from January
1916. In command at Battle of
Jutland in 1916 and in operations against Russian
Navy in Gulf
of Riga
October 1917.
Relinquished command approximately October 1918,
followed by less than a month as Head of the Reichsmarinearmt
(Secretary of State, Imperial Naval Office) (+nh)

31
October - Vizeadmiral Erhardt
SCHMIDT, commander 4th Battle Squadron, High
Seas Fleet from July 1914, then 1st Battle Squadron
from August 1915 to January 1918. Took part in Battle
of Jutland in 1916, and Naval Commander in operations
against Russian Navy in Gulf
of Riga
October 1917 (+nh)

31
October - Kapitän
zu See
Magnus von LEVETZOW, Chief of Operations, High
Seas Fleet at time of October 1917 operations in Gulf
of Riga, later Chief of Staff to Admiral Scheer
when he became head of the Navy in August 1918. (+nh)

24
February - FregKapt.
Karl August NERGER, commander auxiliary
cruiser/commerce raider Wolf. Sailed 30 November 1916
for Indian & Pacific Oceans, captured 14 British
& Allied ships of 38,391grt, and laid mines which
sank 13 more ships off South Africa, India, Ceylon/Sri
Lanka, New Zealand & Australia. Returned to Germany on 19
February 1918
after an almost 15 month cruise (+cn/kp/nh)

19
March
- FregKapt. Karl von MÜLLER,
commander, old light cruiser Emden.
Serving with East Asiatic Cruiser
Squadron in Pacific at outbreak of war.
Detached on 14
August
1914
by Adm von Spee
for independent commerce raiding in the Indian Ocean and sank 15 ships of 66,023grt, an old
Russian cruiser and a French destroyer. Badly damaged
by
light cruiser HMAS Sydney on 9
November 1914
off Cocos (Keeling) Islands
in NE
Indian Ocean and run aground (above (GW)),
taken prisoner (+cn/kp)

30
March
- KaptLt. Ralph
WENNIGER, U-boat
Commander, UB.11, UB.17, UC.17 and UB.55.Sinkings listed by
Uboat.net are 96 merchant ships of 99,186grt. UB.55
mined and sunk 22
April 1918
in DoverStraits
and Wenniger taken
prisoner. Died March 1945 in Italy.
(+ub)

9
April
- KaptLt.Horst FreiherrTreusch von
BUTTLAR-BRANDENFELS,
Naval Airship Commander from 1914, including
LZ.31/L.6, LZ.41/L.11, LZ.62/L.30,
LZ.58/LC.88/L.25, LZ.80/L.35 and LZ.99/L.54.
Took part in patrols over North Sea and attacks on England.(+ls)

(above - L.31, flying over dreadnought SMS
Ostfriesland (MQ))

24
April - OberLt.
Johannes LOHS,
U-boat Commander, UC.75 and UB.57.Sinkings listed by
Uboat.net are 76 merchant ships of 147,075grt and 1
warship of 1,250 tons. Died 14 August 1918
when UB.57 was probably mined off the Belgian coast.
(+ub)

31
May - Kapitän
zu See
Andreas MICHELSEN, Commodore Torpedo Boats from
July 1915 including command of Battle Fleet Torpedo
Boats at Battle of Jutland, then Chief of U-boats (Befehlshaberder U-boote)
from June 1917 to November 1918 (+gw/nh)

18
August
- KaptLt. Paul
HUNDIUS, U-boat
Commander, UB.16, UC.47 and UB.103.Sinkings listed by
Uboat.net are 68 merchant ships of 94,319grt and 3
warships of 2,387 tons (or
67 ships of 95,280BRT and one naval vessel of 890 tons). Died 16
September
1918 when UB.103 was depth charged and sunk in the English
Channel.
(+ub)